This application claims the priority of German patent application 197 03 520.5 filed Jan. 31, 1997 in Germany, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a device for mounting a functional part at a mounting location of a body-in-white of a motor vehicle. The "body-in-white" refers to the welded body shell to which additional functional parts (e.g. axles, transmission, etc.) are to be connected. The body-in-white has a screw connection provided with two screw parts, with a screw part of the body-in-white being located at the mounting location of the body-in-white and a screw part on the functional side being located on the functional part. The mounting location on the body-in-white is designed as a receptacle, the receptacle having an opening in the bottom for bringing the screw parts together, and with the screw part on the body-in-white being retained in a cage.
A mounting device is known from German patent document DE 195 33 138 C1. This known device has a threaded nut as a screw part on the body-in-white, said threaded nut being retained loosely in a cage that is firmly connected with the body-in-white. In the unscrewed state the threaded nut is positioned by means of a retainer at a radial distance from the cage and at an axial distance from the through opening in the cage.
It is also known from German patent document DE 43 43 642 A1 to provide a section of a body-in-white with recesses in opposite section walls, into which recesses a bridge-like base with an insertion nut can be inserted. When fully inserted, a nose of the base grasps the insertion nut by a recess, so that a secure positioning of the insertion nut in the profile is assured.
German patent document DE 43 21 922 A1 teaches a body-in-white of a motor vehicle on which nuts are held by welded connections. For this purpose, a fixed cage is provided on the body-in-white, into which cage a base of a threaded nut is capable of being inserted from one side, said nut, in the inserted stage, projecting out of the cage with a cylindrical part that has an internal thread.
Additional devices of this kind (known, for example, from Mercedes-Benz automobiles) serve to secure axles, propeller shafts, transmissions, or other assemblies of the vehicle to the body-in-white or for securing lengthwise members, cross members, brackets, holders, or the like, not welded to the body-in-white, at corresponding mounting locations on the body-in-white of the motor vehicle. The known mounting devices have threaded plates as the screw parts on the body-in-white to which the functional parts to be secured, for example those listed above, can be secured with the aid of matching screw parts on the functional side, said threaded plates being welded by suitable welded seams to the mounting locations on the body-in-white. If the welded seams are automatically provided by robots, it may occur that the threaded plate is not positioned at the location where the robot provides a corresponding welded seam. To ensure sufficient quality and strength of the weld in every case, therefore, it was necessary to monitor all of the workpieces. If insufficient welding of the threaded plate to the body-in-white was found in an individual case, this body had to be corrected and the welding performed manually. The disadvantage in this connection therefore is a high testing expense and additional work to be performed despite the mechanization.